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What Happens When There are Multiple People at Fault for a Car Accident?


— February 22, 2021

It is complicated to decide who is at fault as many other factors get involved! A car accident lawyer and the insurance organizations might consider many factors for determining the fault.


Usually, a few car accident cases are simple! Here only two vehicles get involved, and the liability is clear. But when more vehicles get involved, the claim gets complex. It gets complicated to find out how the accident occurred and who is accountable for the damages. 

Here an expert car accident lawyer might come to help! Today, you can get in touch with a Houston attorney to resolve the confusion. If there is a case, the lawyer or the law firm can investigate the guilty parties and interact with the insurance organizations on your behalf. Some car accident law firms or lawyers provide a consultation to discuss all that occurred during the accident. 

The multiple-parties “at-fault” accidents

Today, there are many kinds of multi-vehicle collisions, like:

  • Rear-end accidents
  • Chain reaction accidents
  • Head-on accidents
  • Interstate accidents
  • Pile-up accidents
  • T-bone accidents

There are a few factors that usually contribute to such accidents, like:

  • Following very closely – The multi-vehicle accidents can take place during a rush hour when the traffic gets congested. When there isn’t ample space between the cars, one can run at the back of the other, and there can be a pile-up accident. 
  • Speeding –Several highway accidents take place because of high speed. Hence, the drivers have minimal time to pause if there is a problem. If there’s a crash between one car and the other, the other drivers might not have time to avert a multi-car pile-up accident. 
  • Construction zones –The drivers in the construction zones might not be paying attention or might speed-up and avoid warnings regarding the speeding fines. They might forget to slow down when there are workers. 
  • Poor weather conditions –Harsh weather conditions like snow and ice can make the cars slide and slip on roads. On the other hand, extreme weather conditions can lead to poor visibility, resulting in car crashes. 

In most of these accidents, one or more driver’s carelessness is accountable for the accident. 

Deciding the person at fault

It is complicated to decide who is at fault as many other factors get involved! A car accident lawyer and the insurance organizations might consider many factors for determining the fault, like:

  • The driver’s action
  • The accident location
  • Electronic data
  • The witness statements
  • The location of the vehicle damage
  • If the law enforcement gave driver’s tickets
  • The data present in an accident report
  • Road and weather conditions during the accident
  • If drivers were violating the traffic laws during the accident

In the rear-end accident, the driver is usually the one guilty for not leaving ample space between two cars. When it comes to a left-turn accident, the car driver that made the turn is guilty for not obeying the law. But there are exceptions to these rules as well. 

There is the comparative negligence law that might impact the claim if there are more vehicles involved in some places. Under this law system, an injured person might not get compensation if their negligence was more than the defendant. It is essential to involve an expert car accident lawyer to get justice and correct compensation. 

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